Soil uplift in the Emilia-Romagna plain (Italy) by satellite radar interferometry

Satellite radar interferometry (InSAR) data from 1992 to 2016 in Emilia-Romagna plain (about 13,000 km2), has been represented in four maps describing vertical ground movements. The maps were created by the Regional Agency for Environmental Protection and Energy (ARPAE) on behalf of the Emilia-Romagna Region, to discover the areas mostly affected by land subsidence, and provide an opportunity to analyse its cause and find remedies. This data set is used to study positive vertical ground movements (i.e. uplifts) and their nature. Some areas are found to be constantly rising from 1992 to 2016 (Piacenza and Parma plain), others have risen in a differentiated or intermittent way (Reggio Emilia, Modena, Ferrara and Bologna plain). There are no documented uplifts in the Romagna part of the plain (Ravenna, Forlì and Rimini plain). Most of the observed uplifts are due to tectonics as they occur above active structures present in the subsoil, such as portions of the Emilian folds, Ferrara folds, and the Pede-Apennine Thrust front. Differently, the uplift observed in the Bologna plain can be considered related to anthropogenic activities, especially the strong increase of piezometric levels due to the reduction of groundwater withdrawals.